DEVELOPMENT OF DOUBLE EMULSION INCORPORATED WITH JUÇARA EXTRACT (Euterpe edulis Martius): STUDY OF STABILITY AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES
juçara, Euterpe edulis Martius, anthocyanins, double emulsion.
The demand for natural alternativestosyntheticdyes is growing, driven by healthandsustainabilityconcerns. Juçara is a promisingsourceof anthocyanins dueto its richness in bioactive compounds andecologicalrelevance, offeringanopportunityto combine technologicalinnovationwithenvironmentalconservation. Encapsulation in double emulsions, throughmultilayeredstructures, demonstratespotentialtoprotect anthocyanins fromdegradation, enhancephysicochemical stability, andenablecontrolled release in food matrices. Thisstudyfocusedonthedevelopmentandevaluationofdouble emulsions (W/O/W) enrichedwith anthocyanins extractedfrom juçara (Euterpe edulis Martius), aimingtoovercometheinstabilitychallengesofthesebioactivesubstancesunderfactorssuch as pH, temperature, light, andoxygen. Anthocyanins, widelyrecognized for theirantioxidantpropertiesandpotentialas naturaldyes, face limitations in industrial applicationsduetotheirdegradationunder adverse environmentalconditions. In thiscontext, thestudysought to explore double emulsion encapsulation as aninnovativesolutiontostabilizethese compounds andexpandtheirfunctionality in functionalfoods. ThisworkconsistedofResultsArticle 1 andResultsArticle 2. ResultsArticle 1 focusedonthedevelopmentofdouble emulsions usingalcoholicextractsof juçara anthocyanins, evaluatingtheinfluenceof different phaseproportionsandemulsifierconcentrationsonthephysicochemical stability andencapsulationefficiency. ResultsArticle 2 investigatedthe stability ofdouble emulsions against pH andtemperaturevariations, in additiontoanalyzingtheirantioxidantandcolorimetricproperties.The resultsshowedthatthedouble emulsions achieved high encapsulationefficiency, withsignificantretentionof anthocyanins evenunder adverse pH andtemperatureconditions. The optimizedformulationdemonstratedaninclusionefficiencyexceeding 98%, preservingantioxidantpropertiesandcolorationduringstorage. Physicochemical stability wasparticularlynotableatacidic pH andlowertemperatures, whilealkaline pH andelevatedtemperaturesacceleratedcompounddegradation. Colorimetricanalysisindicatedthatthe emulsions betterpreserved color toneandintensitycomparedto non-encapsulatedextracts, reinforcingtheirpotential as analternativetosyntheticdyes. The studyconcludedthatthedouble emulsion techniqueeffectivelyencapsulatesandstabilizes anthocyanins, expandingtheirapplicationpossibilities in the food industry. Beyondprotectingbioactive compounds, thistechnologyenablescontrolled release, offeringsolutions for healthierand more sustainablefunctionalproducts. Thiswork’scontributionsextendbeyondanthocyaninpreservation, promoting sustainable use of juçara andaligningwithconsumer trends for natural ingredients. The researchalsoemphasizestheneed for future studiestooptimizeformulations for industrial-scaleapplications, integrategreenextractionmethods, andevaluatetheimpactofthese emulsions in different food matrices. The combinationoftechnologicalinnovationandsustainabilityproposed in thisthesisrepresents a significantadvancement in the use of anthocyanins as naturaldyesandantioxidants, contributingtothedevelopmentofhealthier, functional, andenvironmentallyresponsibleproducts.